Our food crawl started at 8Cuts in Salcedo village. Yes, everyone ordered the Soft shell Crab ‘Wich–an 8Cuts and Ooma collaboration. How can one not give in to this delectable treat? The soft-shell crab is beer-battered. On top of the soft-shell crab are the unagi sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, herbed aioli, aligue mayo, mango salsa, and salmon-skin flakes. These are all sandwiched in between 8Cut’s brioche buns.

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Our next stop was Mendokoro Ramenba. It is located just behind 8Cuts. Me and Sha just shared a bowl of Tantanmen and three pieces of Gyoza. We love how creamy it is and its level of spiciness is just right.

Our third stop was Wildflour for some tea, coffee, and a light dessert. We also took advantage of the 25 percent discount (available from 5pm to 7pm, daily) and took home some goodies.

Then, we opted to go out of Salcedo village. We headed to Makati Ave. by foot and went to Royal Indian Curry House for some Buttered Chicken (chicken in mildly spiced curry sauce), Palak Paneer (pureed spinach with cottage cheese), Dal (lentils), and some Naan.

Our final stop is Crying Tiger Street Kitchen. It’s a hole-in-the-wall resto-bar. They serve Asian food and drinks. Their dessert menu is limited to Thai cuisine though. Since we didn’t get to eat Sticky Rice with Mango in Bangkok, we had it here instead. We wish that they had served sweet ripe mangoes instead. For the drinks, our friends ordered the Thai Iced Tea while we got the Basil Watermelon Cooler Cocktail.

It was the first of January and almost every restaurant at UP Town Center that we passed by is packed. I guess Peperoni looks a bit intimidating to some.

Peperoni originated from Singapore where its first outlet opened in 2004. Currently, it has 2 branches in the Philippines. One in Uptown Mall in Bonifacio Global City and one in UP Town Center.

On our first visit to Peperoni, we decided to try an antipasti (appetizer) and a large wood-fired pizza with 2 flavors.

For the antipasti, we ordered Funghi Portobello con Pollo. It is a deep-fried portobello with sautéed chicken fillets in red wine sauce. The red wine sauce complements well with the portobello. Certainly a must try at Peperoni! This can be shared by a group of four if you will add one more antipasti, pasta or salad.

What I love about Peperoni is that we were able to try 2 pizza variants with a single order of a Large pizza (12-inch pizza). The large pizza can be shared by a group of four. We got the Bacon Miele variant and the Prosciutto Crudo di Parma.

The Bacon Miele pizza is topped with bacon, honey, fresh oregano and gouda cheese. This pizza is a bit sweet and savory and is amongst Peperoni’s bestsellers.

The Prosciutto Crudo di Parma is pizza topped with parma ham and rocket salad. This is a bit challenging to eat because the parma ham and the rocket salad (arugula and gouda cheese) was placed on top after it was baked in the oven. Nevertheless, I like the combination of the Prosciutto and the arugula. It lessens the saltiness of the prosciutto and the gouda cheese.

I discovered something new at McDonald’s today. They gave in and are now pairing their burger patties with rice.

One may order a one-piece or a two-piece mushroom pepper steak. It costs less than a hundred bucks even if ordered as a value meal.

The burger is smothered with creamy and peppery gravy, and is topped with button mushrooms.

While I love the peppery gravy, I still like Jollibee’s Big Burger Steak more.

]]>https://www.foodtrippings.com/fast-food/mushroom-pepper-steak-mcdonalds-newest-offering/feed/040272016 Dessert Favoriteshttps://www.foodtrippings.com/desserts/2016-dessert-favorites/
https://www.foodtrippings.com/desserts/2016-dessert-favorites/#respondWed, 28 Dec 2016 12:19:55 +0000http://www.foodtrippings.com/?p=4003Continue reading "2016 Dessert Favorites"]]>Whenever we dine out, we would usually look for a place to have a dessert. There are times that we will go out of our way just to try that new dessert. There are also times that we were really just curious when we find one by accident.

Just opposite Cafe Bob’s at Lacson Street, right at the center of all the foodie action in Bacolod City, is the Open Grounds. Basically it’s just an open area where with different food concessionaires where people can dine, drink booze and listen to music at the same time. The place reminds me of the Collective in Malugay or Cubao X in Quezon City because of the street art around.

Some of the popular favorites among locals are there such as Byron’s Ribs and Aida’s Inasal.

For our main dish, we ordered one full slab of ribs from Byron’s. It was only for PHP 250, super cheap compared to Manila! We asked them to remove them from the bone so it looked like the photo above. The meat was very tender with a little bit of fat. Super worth it!

When you visit the Open Grounds, make sure that you agree to smell barbeque afterwards because most of the stalls there grill something.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean that we’re stuck in eating greens. Earth Kitchen says otherwise. They have recently opened a branch in Bonifacio Global City with their first branch in Quezon City. We were glad to have been invited by Earth Kitchen to taste their food. Earth Kitchen is proud to say that everything they serve is made from scratch: from pasta, ice cream, tortilla, risotto and soups. The restaurant is dedicated in supporting local farmers from Got Heart Farm in Tarlac and indigenous communities around the Philippines which I really appreciate. The restaurant is a partnership of Got Heart Foundation and Hizon’s Catering.

We definitely loved the food here and we hope that you will too. Here are the reasons why you should try Earth Kitchen:

1) They have very good Beef Kebab (as shown in the photo above).

Their beef kebab is so flavorful and tender! They told me that they only use Australian or US beef. It really tastes good when you pair it with the Tzatziki (cucumber with yogurt) and spicy sauce. They also have a chicken version of this but the beef is their best seller. The rice came from Ifugao Rice Terraces from Northern Philippines.

I love squid ink. When I was a kid, I don’t really eat squid ink but when I started food blogging years ago, my palate developed an appreciation to squid ink. The Scallops and Aligue definitely stood out of the black pasta with a mild taste of anise liquor. As I said earlier, they make their own pasta. Unfortunately, they don’t have options to change to wholewheat pasta.

3) Fish and Roasted Sesame Soft Tacos is a meal by itself and it is so delish!

Most of fish tacos I’ve tasted in Manila are made of Cream Dory, which is based on what I’ve read is not healthy. In Earth Kitchen, they use the Loro (Parrot Fish). Same as Cream Dory, the meat is white. The fish taco is paired with roasted sesame dressing which is compatible with each other. Actually, even though there’s no dressing, the fish itself already tasted good. Better not miss squeezing some lemon juice so that the flavors of the fish will come out more.

– Risotto Balls
The Risotto Balls is a great appetizer. It’s made of breaded and fried mushrooms stuffed with mozzarella cheese. Tastes even better when dipped on their homemade tomato sauce.

5) It’s ok to eat Pork and be healthy because of their Braised Bacon.

Yes, go ahead. Eat it. This is a slab of bacon with red cabbage and marbled potatoes. Surprisingly, this doesn’t taste salty. It’s actually a little bit sweet and perhaps this is because of the red cabbage. Don’t worry, it’s organic pork.

6) Yes, vegetarians and fruitarians will enjoy it here because of the below:

Pomelo Salad @ PHP 360

Got Heart Mix 2: Beets, carrots, cucumber, apple and honey

The healthy and organic revolution is now beginning to invade the urban Manila and I am very happy about it. It’s now becoming part of the mainstream food options for Filipinos. I guess the difference between Earth Kitchen and the other popular one right now is that they are not overpriced, not the type of “in your face organic” which doesn’t intimidate those who are not into the organic lifestyle. I feel that that this place is sincere in making sure that food that they serve is not just for the sake of being organic because they make their customers feel comfortable, the only thing lacking – Urban Kitchen sets, really.

First restaurant and lunch in Bacolod was at Rau Ram Cafe. Tita Kate said that this used to be called Saigon Cafe and they had a small location (just opposite the now bigger Rau Ram Cafe). The restaurant is tucked inside a residential area near The Ruins in Bata, a popular tourist destination. There are no signs going there so you’d have to rely on Google Maps or the locals / tricycle drivers near PepsiCo.

The restaurant doesn’t have air conditioning but they have high ceiling so air can circulate more. We immediately saw the big blackboard with their menu written on it. The first thing that came to mind was “prices are so cheap compared to Manila!”. We were shocked when we saw the actual dishes because most of them have big servings.

Pho Bo @ PHP 159.00

Since we were in a Vietnamese restaurant, we should try their Pho Bo. A big bowl of Pho Bo arrived our table and was surprised to see that it’s that big. The broth was very flavorful and refreshing because of the basil, mint and some lime. It was perfect at that time because it was very windy and raining. Our next favorite on the menu was the Bun Thit Nuong. I initially wanted the Bun Cha but we ordered the Bun Thit Nuong instead because the only difference was that the latter did not have Grilled Pork. Both of them have the rice noodles and fried rolls anyway. This big bowl of noodle salad can be shared by 4 people. It’s a balanced and healthy meal in one. A good way to start our piggy foodie adventures ;). This dish was very light and refreshing especially with the Nuoc Cham, Vietnamese dipping sauce made of fish sauce, lime and sugar water. The Nuoc Cham brings out the flavor of this salad and what I liked about their Nuoc Cham was that the flavors were balanced (not too sour).

Com Chien (Vietnamese Fried Rice) @ PHP 155.00

We ordered rice and 1 viand as Filipino staple food. The fried rice was just ok but again the serving is enormous. The chicken wings were nothing very special. Just like a typical chicken stewed in soy sauce. I would say that the ones that really made the mark are the rice noodle salad and Pho Bo. I wonder if their Banh Mi is good? We have to come back to try it.

Malaysian Stewed Chicken @ PHP 149.00

Lastly, who would want to miss Vietnamese Coffee? As coffee lovers, we didn’t want to miss this.

Overall, the food in Rau Ram Cafe were very good and I believe locals like going here like what Tita Kate said. We went there at 2 pm so the place was all ours!

J.Co’s Coconut Mocha Frappe is very much different from Cong Caphe’s Coconut Coffee. After a few sips from this delectable tropical treat, I immediately noticed the Macapuno (Coconut Sport in English) that sits at the bottom of the drink. You have to mix it so that it won’t be very sweet.

Hainanese Chicken Rice is a popular dish in Singapore. If you’re going to there, you have to try it at least once because your visit won’t be complete without it. You may try the Hainanese Chicken Rice in hawker centers like Lau Pa Sat, and at Tiong Bahru. I can still recall our journey to Tiong Bahru. We took a bus going there. It was quite a long bus ride but it was all worth it. Hainanese Chicken Rice is served with fragrant chicken-flavored rice and condiments such as chilli, ginger, and dark soya sauce.

Here in Manila, we would get our Hainanese Chicken craving satisfied at Wee Nam Kee, or Boon Tong Kee. We have tried others but these two are our favorites. Just recently, we received various sauce packs from Prima Taste. One of the sauce packs that we have received is the Hainanese Chicken Rice set.

The Prima Taste Hainanese Chicken Rice pack is recommended for those who are cooking the dish for the first time since it already includes the recipe.

According to the Prima Taste recipe, here’s the main ingredients that you need:

2.5 L of water

1 pkt. of Hainanese Chicken Rice Premix

Whole chicken (1.2 to 1.5kg)

500g of Long grain rice (Thai long grain rice is recommended)

1 pkt. of Hainanese Chicken Rice Fragrance Oil

610mL of chicken stock

For the condiments, you would need the following:

Sesame Soya Sauce Oil

Chilli Sauce

Chicken Rice Ginger Sauce

Chicken Rice Dark Soya Sauce

Cucumber

Coriander leaves

For the soup garnish, you would need the following:

soft bean curd (tofu)

lettuce (shredded)

coriander leaves

spring onion

Listed below are the cooking steps from Prima Taste’s recipe. Alternatively, you may check out this video below from Prima Taste.

1) Cook Chicken and Stock
Fill stock pot with 2.5 L of water, add Hainanese Chicken Rice Premix and bring to boil on high temperature. Submerge chicken into the stock with its back facing up. Lower temperature and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

2) Remove chicken from stock pot and chill in ice water for 15 minutes. Drain well, set aside chicken and chicken stock.

Going to Vietnam without drinking their coffee is like going to Singapore without eating Laksa. You can definitely see coffee shops in every street corner and one can really see that the coffee culture in Vietnam is very strong. The standard Vietnamese coffee is black coffee mixed with sweet condensed milk. Their coffee is strong but because of the condensed milk, the acidity is subdued by the sweet condensed milk. We didn’t get tired of drinking their coffee anytime of the day and just sitting at their stools whether on the sidewalk or inside an upscaled coffee shop.

We tried different coffee shops around Hanoi and these are the ones that we recommend:

Cong Caphe

Cong Caphe

Prior to our arrival in Hanoi, Sharlyne was already ecstatic to try the Coco Coffee by Cong Caphe. It was highly recommended by one of the blogs that she was able to read while researching for the food and the coffee shops to try in Hanoi. While Sharlyne got the Coconut Coffee, I ordered the Yoghurt Coffee. It’s an ice blended Vietnamese coffee with yoghurt. Coffee and yoghurt may sound weird for some but I loved it! The Coconut Coffee on the other hand is coffee, coconut and condensed milk. It was surprisingly good and refreshing. We paid for VND 90,000 for both coffees we ordered.

Cong Caphe is also a nice hangout place and i noticed that a lot of young people go there. I liked their interiors and according to their website, it brings you back to post Vietnam war. They have different branches in Hanoi. We went to their branch at 54 – Hàng Điếu, Hoàn Kiếm.

Helio Original Coffee House

2 Iced Coffee (all for VND 132,000)

Helio’s Coffee is probably the most expensive one that we have tried in Vietnam. They are located at the heart of Old Quarter in Hanoi, which is really close to Hoan Kiem Lake. Above the Helio coffee shop is the Water Puppet theatre so it’s a great place to hang out while waiting for the show to start.

Joma Bakery Cafe

Joma Bakery Cafe originated in Laos. Unlike the other coffee shops that we have been to in Hanoi, Joma Bakery Cafe is not homegrown. It’s actually owned by Jonathan and Jocelyn Blair, and Michael and Areerat Harder. What we like about the said cafe is that is supports initiatives focused on meeting basic life needs by giving 2% of its revenue.

In this cafe, we were able to try Con Panna which is espresso with whipped cream.

Joma Bakery Cafe is a great place to hangout because of its cozy atmosphere. It is airconditioned and they even have wi-fi. Even if the cafe originated in Laos, it’s very much westernized as evidenced by the food that they serve.

Cafe Giang

Iced Egg Coffee and Hot Egg Coffee (all for VND 40,000)

We heard about the Egg Coffee (or Cà Phê Trứng in Vietnamese) from Nina of Just Wandering so this was already part of our Hanoi bucket list. We scoured for the internet on where we could possibly try the most popular place to have Egg Coffee and, we stumbled on Cafe Giang. As mentioned on their website, the cafe was difficult to locate. We almost gave up but went ahead in pursuit of experiencing the cafe culture in Hanoi. Cafe Giang claims that they’re the ones who invented egg coffee and they’ve been there since 1946. It’s an institution as they say and a lot of locals and even tourists go to this hidden spot. You couldn’t notice it immediately because they only have the sign in front. You’ll have to go inside the alley and at the end, you’ll see the counter where you can order the drinks.

Egg Coffee is made of the following ingredients: chicken egg yolk, Vietnamese coffee powder, sweetened condensed milk, butter and cheese. We tried both egg coffees – iced and hot, so that we would be able to taste which one is better. For us, it is best to try the iced egg coffee because flavors are much evident compared to the hot version. Many would find this kind of coffee weird but just imagine that you are drinking coffee flavored custard. They serve it on a small class or cup and with the black coffee at the bottom then it’s covered with the condensed milk and frothy egg on top.

Trung Nguyen Coffee

Trung Nguyen is a popular instant coffee in Vietnam. In it’s packaging, you may found the text “Vietnam’s #1 Coffee”. If you’re contemplating on what kind of “pasalubong” to buy for your friends and loved ones, it has to be Trung Nguyen coffee if you’re on a budget. We wanted to bring home some Vietnamese coffee home here’s the place!